The Dominican University softball team ran their winning streak to three games, posting a pair of victories over Nazareth College and Suffolk University at CenturyLink Sports Complex in Fort Myers, Florida, moving to 3-1 on the season.
Dominican will return to the diamonds tomorrow for a pair of games, taking on Bethany Lutheran College and Emory & Henry College before an off day on Wednesday.
Game One: Dominican 6, Nazareth 4 (8 Inn.) The Stars rallied for a run in the seventh to push the games to extras and setting the table for
Kaitlyn Tripp's (Imperial, Mo.) two run single that proved to be the game winner with two outs in the top of the eighth that scored
Vivian Juarez (Lake Zurich, Ill.) and
Ali Woitovich (Downers Grove, Ill.) after Juarez singled to left with one down.
Nazareth took a 1-0 lead in the bottom of the first, taking advantage of Dominican error in the field to score an unearned run.
Dominican got that run back in the top of the second, when Woitovich came around to score on an infield single with help from the Golden Flyers second baseman who kicked the ball after stopping it from rolling into centerfield.
Nazareth answered with two runs in the bottom of the frame, reclaiming the lead 3-1.
The Stars evened the game in the fifth when
Kaitlin Barajas (Dyer, Ind.) singled up the middle to score
Ashley Rea (Lockport, Ill.) and
Sara Hausl (St. Charles, Ill.) to start the frame.
The Golden Flyers again answered, pushing across Maureen Rogers on a two-out single by Cydney Luke.
After Dominican went down in order in the sixth, the Stars rallied in the seventh, stringing together three hits, the biggest a double to left off the bat of Barajas that scored
Alyssa Domico (Naperville, Ill.) to even the game at 4-4.
Michele Behrens (Frankfort, Ill.), who came on in relief in second, pitched around a pair of two-out singles in the bottom of the seventh, forcing extra innings.
With international tie-breaker rules in effect, Burns failed to move Woitovich to third, popping up a bunt for the first out. Juarez followed with her first single of the season. After Conte bounced out to first to put runners at second, Tripp came through with a single through the right side, advancing to third on as Meghan Barry over-ran the roller.
Behrens then closed out the win, stranding the tying run at second as she got Morgan Ross to line out to center.
Behrens worked seven innings, scattering five hits and one walk while surrendering one run, striking out four.
Offensively, Rea, Hausl and Barajas finished with two hits apiece with Barajas driving in three.
Game Two: Dominican 7, Suffolk 0 Game two was highlighted by a complete-game, six-hit shutout of Suffolk by junior
Haley Locher (Lisle, Ill.) in the circle. Locher pitched out of a bases loaded jam in the first and the fourth. Locher then retired nine of the last ten hitters of the game to close out the day.
The Stars pounded out 13 hits in the winning effort with Rea, Hausl,
Marissa Burns (Shorewood, Ill.) and Conte logging multiple hits and Domico driving in three. Hausl finished the game 3-for-4 with a double and a triple.
